Good morning, and happy NHL Trade Deadline day to all who celebrate and/or get incredibly stressed out by it. On Thursday, the Seattle Kraken made one last pre-deadline whimper in Nashville, losing 5-3 to a very bad team and getting outplayed for most of the game.

I won’t go quite as deep in this one as I do with other Three Takeaways, but there were a couple of interesting notes, so let’s touch on those before we get back to refreshing social media every 30 seconds looking for trade news.

Seattle came out hot and took a 1-0 lead on Adam Larsson’s goal (he should have had three or four in the game), but then it was all Nashville for much of the remainder of the contest.

These are Three (relatively quick) Takeaways from a 5-3 Kraken loss to the Predators.

Takeaway #1: Brandon Tanev held out for possible trade

It is no secret the Seattle Kraken are willing (and perhaps wanting) to move Brandon Tanev in advance of Friday’s 12 p.m. Pacific deadline. They are so committed to moving him, in fact, that they held him out of this game to ensure he didn’t get injured just before a deal could get consummated.

With how this market has developed over the last few days, I’m certainly curious to see what kind of return Seattle can get for Tanev and others. Given that the market has proven to be a very strong seller’s market, I’m all for Seattle having a busy day.

If Tanev goes, it will sting for many fans who have enjoyed his hard-nosed style since Day 1, but it’s the right move for Seattle to get as much as possible for him and his expiring contract.

Takeaway #2: Newcomers showed well

With Tanev out, Yanni Gourde traded away, Mikey Eyssimont now in the fold, and Jacob Melanson and Ben Meyers called up from Coachella Valley, coach Dan Bylsma assembled a brand-new fourth line consisting of the latter three players.

Melanson didn’t play much in his NHL debut, logging just 9:53 of ice time, but he lived up to his billing as a gritty player willing to muck things up and go to hard areas. We know the organization has been high on Melanson, a 21-year-old winger selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and we believe he has a future with the Kraken, especially now that players cut from that same cloth (Gourde and Tanev) are gone or soon to be gone.

I especially loved one of Melanson’s early shifts when he forechecked hard in the corner to create some chaos for Nashville’s defenders, then beelined to the top of the crease and started whacking away at loose pucks, narrowly missing a goal of his own and creating a rebound opportunity for Larsson. He was also seen in the middle of a scrum after throwing his body around behind Nashville’s net.

With missing teeth, a big cut across his nose, and a willingness to do the things you want a fourth-liner to do, Melanson fits the mold as a player that could grow into a fan favorite if he sticks around. Perhaps that will at least partially alleviate some of the pain of veteran core players exiting.

The legend of Jacob Melanson may grow quickly… pic.twitter.com/DgQk1QCyql

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 7, 2025

Eyssimont played a little more than Melanson, logging 12:39 of ice time. I didn’t notice him as much as Melanson until late in the game when he scored his first goal as a Kraken off a quick-strike tip of a Josh Mahura shot-pass.

A MIKEY STRIKEY! 🚨

Mikey Eyssimont scores in his first game as a #SeaKraken.

5-3 NSH, though. pic.twitter.com/aEOSdOUbsz

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 7, 2025

On a night when Yanni Gourde assisted on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s first goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was fun to see Eyssimont get one, even though it came in garbage time.

Takeaway #3: It could be an interesting day

Plain and simple, this wasn’t a very good game for the Kraken, but I’ve turned my full attention to the trade deadline at this point.

There have been some massive rumblings around the NHL from late Thursday into Friday morning, and returns for players of any kind of value have been massive.

When the Kraken are working on moves, Francis and his staff tend to hold their cards very close to the vest. So, although Seattle hasn’t been mentioned in many other recent rumors outside of Tanev, it would not surprise me to see a flurry of movement as the morning goes on.

Here’s hoping Seattle can take more advantage of this wild trade market. We shall see…